5 days Dancing & Meditation, spring retreat in Burgundy, France

The intention of this retreat is to enquire into what it means to be attentive, not only to our thinking and feeling but as well to our body with the senses.

Most of the time we do what we do and react to things, unaware of how and what we think and feel, as well as how we move, sit and talk. Our attention is somewhere else, mostly in the head with a lot of thoughts and not in the rest of the body, how it feels, sits and moves.
Is it possible to change from a mechanical state of the mindbody to the present moment?

In these 3,5 days we use meditation, movement, dance and dialogue as means to become more aware of when we attend or not. This will be a concrete approach to find how we can shift from mechanical reactivity to a way to be present, in the movement of life.

Located in a pretty old village in the immediate vicinity of the immense Bertranges forest, La Maison welcomes you in the heart of Nivernais, in Burgundy. It has large lounges ideal for rest or discussion in small groups. The practice room (meditation, dance, etc.) is located on the top floor, completely free and dedicated to introspective work.

The form of meditation is inspired from the mindfulness meditation. According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, “Mindfulness is the state of awareness that results from deliberately and non-judgmentally paying attention to the unfolding experience moment by moment".
Mindfulness is therefore a specific way of focusing one's attention in the present moment that promotes full self-awareness. This ability is natural, but it can be atrophied by habits, conditionings and stress that are introduced in our daily life. We will practice together meditation exercises to get more mental clarification, greater emotional stability and openness to creativity.

The approach to movement is a form of modern dance, in which the body in movement is the means to awareness, development and change. It differs from other movement forms, in that it considers that everyone – whatever their physical capacities – can dance, that it is a means of expression from which we can learn about ourselves, and that it involves the whole of the physical and mental capacities.
Dialogue is a way of being with others in order to become more aware of theirs and your thoughts, judgements and feelings. The information we gathered during the meditations and movement sessions will be shared and influence our dialogues.

This retreat offers a safe, serious and caring space where we can discover ourselves, meet our deep essence and consider our whole life in a new and intuitive way.